Leicestershire Racks Up Record Recycling Rates

Leicestershire has bolstered its 'green' credentials by notching up its highest ever recycling rates.

New national figures reveal that last year, 54 per cent of the county's rubbish was recycled, composted or reused.

This equates to a whopping 170,000 tonnes which weighs more than 21,200 double-decker buses, and is a rise of almost 1.4 per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

The rate is set to be confirmed by the government in the autumn and means that Leicestershire remains one of the top ranking recyclers in the country.

Guy Jackson, Vice-Chairman of the Leicestershire Waste Partnership, said: "The increase is great news and reinforces Leicestershire's position as one of the country's leading recyclers.

"Importantly, we're extending a huge thank you to residents for their commitment to recycling and urge them to keep up the good work.

"Through innovative campaigns, we're diverting more waste from landfill than ever before and I'm pleased that we are on course to meet our recycling and composting target of 58 per cent by 2017.

"However, we are not complacent and have a strong partnership which remains committed to our overall aims of driving down waste sent to landfill."

The rate covers 2010/11 and reflects the combined work of Leicestershire County Council and the seven district and borough councils, who together make up the Leicestershire Waste Partnership.

The increase is down to a number of factors including:

better doorstep recycling collections
a hi-tech plant at Cotesbach which sorts, composts and treats household waste and opened its doors last October
improvements at recycling and household waste sites
campaigns aimed at reducing waste in the first place including boosting reuse and home composting, and cutting food waste and packaging